2024-04-24

Guiding Questions

  • How has the Shinkansen system expanded since the construction of the earliest stations?
  • How are Shinkansen stations (and lines) distributed geographically across Japan in 2024?
  • What are the key characteristics of Shinkansen stations in Japan?
  • What are the preferences of operating companies regarding Shinkansen lines and distances from Tokyo Station?
  • What is the relationship between a station’s year of opening and the distance from Tokyo Station?

Importance

  • The Shinkansen system is a key component of Japan’s economy and culture, connecting major cities and regions.
  • Understanding the system’s development and characteristics can provide insights into Japan’s transportation infrastructure.
  • Analyzing the relationship between station attributes and operating companies can inform future expansion and improvements.
  • Visualizing the Shinkansen system can enhance public awareness and appreciation of this iconic transportation network.

Data

Variables

  • Station_Name: the name of the station (English)
  • Shinkansen_Line: the line that the station belongs
  • Year: The year when the station opened
  • Prefecture: The prefecture where the station is located
  • Distance.from.Tokyo.st: the distance (km) from Tokyo station to the station
  • Company: the company that has the station
  • lat: latitude
  • lon: longitude

Expansion of the Shinkansen System

Shinkansen Line Data

Map of the Present Day Shinkansen System (Almost!)

Operating Companies - Number of Stations

Note: There are 7 intersection stations, and we count the number of Shinkansen_Line twice for the intersection stations. For this, we split the string in the Shinkansen_Line column when it has both Shinkansen line names and unnest the data.

Operating Companies - Distance

Network Plot of the Shinkansen System

  • The length of the edges represents the distance between the stations to Tokyo.
  • The color of the nodes represents the year the station was opened.

Summary

  • Retrieve and clean the Shinkansen station data.
  • Retrieve the Shinkansen line data and define lines.
  • Map plots - Expansion of Shinkansen System up to the present day.
  • Box plots - Analysing characteristics of the operating companies.
  • Network plot - Exploring the relationship between year of opening and the distance to Tokyo.